Cash or article cushion.



No. 646,525. Patented Ap'r. 3', |900. A E- M.,| N|GHT.

cAsH on 'ARTIcLl-z cusHloN.

(Application led July 17, 1899.) (No Model.) A 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No.n 646,525. Patented Apr.. 3, |900. -E. M. KNIGHT.

CASH'UR ARTICLE C USHIUN. (Application mea my 17, 1899;) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Futon.

PATENT EDWARD M. KNIGHT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CASH OR ARTICLE CUSHION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,525, dated April 3, 1900.

I Application filed July 17, 1899.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern/.V

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. KNIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oash or Article Cushions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device adapted, primarily, to provide a simple, convenient, and effective medium for the transfer or eX- change of a coin or coins from one person to another and as a temporaiyholder for any article of barter and sale and tine mechanical parts which are liable to injury by ordinary usage, or, indeed, any class of goods or articles which should be quickly or carefully handled and. which because of their shape and delicate character are difficult to pick up under ordinary conditions and especially with a gloved hand.

One object of the invention is, essentially, to facilitate the lifting of a coin or coins from the counter of a store, railway-station, restaurant, or other public or private establishment, and particularly to enable the coins to be lifted as readily with a gloved hand as with the hand with glove removed, and, further, to` enable a person to lift a number of coins simultaneously instead of having to pick them up singly. Y

Another object is to form a temporary receiver for small articles of merchandisel which may be purchased, as cigars and tine mechanical parts and articles of jewelry.

The invention consists, essentially, of a receptacle having a packing or filling of fibrous material and a covering adapted to be stretched over the same and to receive lthe coins or articles and forni a cushion which yields under the pressure of the hand or 1ingers in grasping the coins orarticles and immedately and because of its inert elasticity automatically insures its normal condition when the said pressure is released.

It further consists in the parts and in the constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts, Which I will hereinaftervdescribe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure l is a perspective view of a cushion embodying:my invention and having a square Serial No. 724,132. (No model.)

tive view of the form of cushion shown iu- Fig. l, but divided into a number of independent and smaller compartments or cushion-spaces. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the li-ne x of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on the line y 'y ofv Fig. 2. Figs. 6 and 7 are details to be referred to.

The cushion may be constructed of any appropriate or well-known material, as Wood, metal, glass, or other substance, and it may be given any suitable or desired general configuration. It may be oblong or round, as in Fig. 2, or square or rectangular, as in Fig. I, and it may include but a single compartment or cushion-space or may be subdivided to form a number of separate compartmentsas,for instance,as shown in Fig.3-which may represent any cash-receiver, till, or drawer. In every case its operation is alike and is the result of the peculiar arrangement and combination which are common to all forms of the device shown. AThen the cushion is vmade of circular form and of Wood, I take a piece of wood-sayabout nine (9) inchesin diameterand turn it in a lathe until it is quite round to forln a bodyv A, and thenIholloW it out in the center to form a recess a, which is bounded by a surrounding rim b about one (l) inch high. However, Ido not limit myself to these or any particular proportions or in forming the cushion of a single piece of Wood, it only being preferred that the center shall be a recess or opening and that the rim shall form a boundary-wall. This hollow or recess a I fill with some fibrous material-such as cotton, wool or equivalent elastic material or substance, as horsehair, bone shavings, excelsior, tow, dto-and over this filling I stretch apiece of cloth, leather, or other fabric. This cover B should be sutliciently large to extend over the rim l) to permit the edge of the covering to be tacked to the rim, Fig. 2, or to be glued thereto or to be tied securely in place by a string, Fig. 6, in which latter instance the exterior of the disk A Will be provided with an annular groove c, in which the free edge of the covering may be securely drawn.

To hide the workmanship and to present a neat and attractive nish for the device, I form by any well-known methods a ring O,

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whose diameter is slightly greater than that ofthe disk or body portion Aand whose height is slightly greater than that of the rim l1, which ring C is slipped over the disk or body A, thereby compressing the turned edge of the cover B and concealing from view the securing means before alluded to. However, it is not essential that the free edge of the cover should be secured independent of the ring C, because this ring may form such a close fit that when it is forced in position it will bind the edge ot' the cover with sufficient force to hold the cover under the proper tension and in turn be itself frictionally held, this exterior ring or band serving also to prevent the coins or articles falling off the covering on which they are placed. Instead of being thus frictionally held I may pass small screws d. or other securing devices through the ring or band and into the disk or body A, Fig. 5, whereby the parts are securely held against accidental separation.

In constructing a cushion of the square or rectangular form I arrange the parts substantially as before indicated. The body portion A. I make with a bottom and vertical sides b'. This forms the receptacle for the filling or packing, and the cloth or other covering D' is stretched over it and is held as before noted or by the corresponding external open frame C, the said coverbeing sufficiently large so that when this frame C' is put in position it compresses the free edge of the cover, while the angles of the square cover project below the bottoln of the body A to form pads e, one under each corner of the cushion and adapted to prevent the device marring highlypolished surfaces and to render the device noiseless in moving it over a counter, showcase, slab, or other surface.

In Figs. 3 and 7 I illustrate the application of myinvention to amulticompartmentcushion, which may represent a cash-receiver of any type, as a cash drawer or till, a jewelers tray, tbc. In this case the body portion A2 is divided by longitudinal and cross strips al', extending about the height of the outersides of the body,into any desired number of independent compartments, each of which has its packing or filling and over all of which the covering B2 is stretched. The strips a' eX- tend from the bottom upwardly, and their upper edges are about fiush with the top edges of the sides, and the outer frame C2 is formed or provided with corresponding longitudinal and cross strips a2, adapted to rest upon the strips of the body portion A2, and thereby bind the covering between themselves and said strips ct. By this arrangement it is not possible for a coin or coins or other article to get under the division-strips when the covering is depressed in the act of taking up the coin or coins or article-a result which would occur if the division-strips simply extended downwardly upon the covering and the said oyering were without divisional support from e ow.

The device constructed as herein shown and described differs from any ordinary cushion in both its construction and operation. In an ordinary upholstered cushion the covering is left slack, as in a pillow, or buttoned down, as in a chair, or sometimes it is stretched tightly over the stuffing; but in any case the covering is dependent for its support on the stuffing. This is not true in the present device, because the stuffing, of whatever character, and the exterior covering are entirely independent of each other. This is proved by the fact that either can be removed without affecting the other. If a cushion was made under the old methods, as above indicated, there would be a soft or yielding effect, but little or no elasticity; but in my cushion the reverse is true, as I get elasticity without softness, and it is elasticity which is an essential featureof myinvention. Therefore if a coin is placed upon the covering of my cushion it may be readily picked up with the first finger and thumb, and if several coins are placed upon the center of my cushion they may be removed by placing the open hand over them and pressing slightly upon the covering, when the coins will at once come into the hand without difficulty. If an attempt were made to thus collect and remove the coins from a table, counter, or other unyielding or upholstered surface, the difficulty in removing the coins would be quickly appreciated.

The reason that my cushion acts as it does results from the cloth being stretched tightly across the frame from side to side to give it an inert elasticity; but unaided by the stuffing below it would not be sufficient or, more properly speaking, of the correct nature; but with the aid of the stuffing the cloth is caused to act in a manner that the coins placed on it are delivered in the hand without difliculty.

Practical experiment has shown me that the best results are obtained by making the stuffing of cotton wool and horsehair, the former forming a bed and the upper central portion being formed of the horsehair, as when the stuffing consists wholly of one or the other of these materials I do not get as desirable reg sults as when the combination of materials is used.

The device is useful in many directions. As a coin-receiver it has superior qualities, as before indicated. It is also useful as a pintray or receiver for loose pins, which when thrown loosely on it may be readily removed.

t As a cushion for cigars it is valuable, as it prevents the fine Wrapper being broken. If the covering is made of fine leather or material without nap or fiuff, the fine parts of a timepiece may be laid on it instead of on a hard surface, slab, &c., and they can be lifted therefrom with the greatest facility, and the same idea may be carried forward in ornamental designs for use 011 dressing-tables as a receptacle for toilet articles, rings, watches,

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studs; pins, &c. As an advertising medium it is also valuable, the advertising matter being suitably displayed on the cloth, leather, the., covering in any appropriate manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A device of the character described consisting of a rigid body portion having a cavity filled with superposed layers of fibrous filling, and a superposed cover held over the lling under tension.

2. A device of the character described consisting of a body portion having strips subdividing it into separate compartments, a fibrous filling for each compartment, a superposed covering held under tension over said compartments and forming the surface for the deposit of articles, and a frame having strips corresponding with those on the body, and resting thereon and confining the covering so as to prevent the articles getting under the top strips.

`and an exterior frame confining the edges of the covering -betWeen itself and the exterior of the body portion and extending above the covering and forming a retaining-rim.

4. A device of the character described consisting of a body portion having a bro'uslled cavity,a superposed covering held under tension and having portions extended to form pads, and a frame surrounding the sides of the body and concealing and confining the edges of the covering.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. y

EDWARD M. KNIGHT. `Witnesses:

J. E. LOVE, G. H. DUDLEY. 

